MRI System Or MRSI System With A Coil Having A Unified Coil Assembly

Abstract

A magnet resonance system including a magnet, gradient coils, and radiofrequency coils. The gradient coils have one or more first electrically conductive loops that provide spatial encoding as to a subject of the system. The radiofrequency coils have one or more second electrically conductive loops that transmit a radiofrequency field to excite nuclear spins and/or receive an MRI signal. All or a portion of the one or more first electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops are shared. The present teachings provide a device that integrates part of one or more gradient coils into part of one or more RF coils in a magnetic resonance system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A magnet resonance system comprising:
 a magnet;   gradient coils comprising one or more first electrically conductive loops that provide spatial encoding as to a subject of the system; and   radiofrequency coils comprising one or more second electrically conductive loops that transmit a radiofrequency field to excite nuclear spins and/or receive a MRI signal;   wherein all or a portion of the one or more first electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops are shared.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the magnet in MRI system is one of an electromagnetic magnet, a permanent magnet, and a superconductive magnet. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more first electrically conductive loops is shared with at least one of the one or more second electrically conductive loops. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more first electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops are directly physically connected, directly electrically connected, or both. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the one or more first electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops that are shared are located inside of a non-shared portion of the gradient coils. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the one or more electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops that are shared are located outside of a non-shared portion of the gradient coils. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one switch is coupled to a control circuit,
 wherein the control circuit is configured to selectively activate the at least one switch of the one of the pluralities of electrically conductive loops thereby generating radiofrequency fields to excite nuclear spins or receiving MRI signal around a Larmor frequency in the MRI system.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein currents for the radiofrequency coils and the gradient coils coexist independently in the one or more first electrically conductive loops and the one or more second electrically conductive loops that are shared. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein a coexistence of the radiofrequency loops and the gradient loops can reduce interference or interaction partly between radiofrequency loops and gradient loops. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a direction of a magnetic field generated by at least a part of the one of the one or more first electrically conductive loops are parallel to a static magnetic field generated by the magnet. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a direction of a magnetic field generated by at least a part of the one or more second electrically conductive loops are perpendicular to a static magnetic field generated by the magnet. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the radiofrequency coils provides a radiofrequency transmission, a radiofrequency reception, or both in the MRI system. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising single-layer electrically conductive loops. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising multi-layer electrically conductive loops. 
     
     
         15 . A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:
 a plurality of electrically conductive loops;   at least one or more first part of the plurality of the electrically conductive loops provides spatial encoding in the MRI apparatus; and   at least one or more second part of the plurality of the electrically conductive loops provides radiofrequency transmission that excite nuclear spins and/or reception of MRI radiofrequency signals in the MRI apparatus;   wherein all or a portion of the one or more first part of the plurality of electrically conductive loops and the one or more second part of the electrically conductive loops are shared.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a magnet in the MRI apparatus that is one of an electromagnetic magnet, a permanent magnet, and a superconductive magnet.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more first part of the plurality of electrically conductive loops and the one or more second part of the electrically conductive loops are directly physically connected, directly electrically connected, or both. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 at least one switch coupled to a control circuit,   wherein the control circuit is configured to selectively activate the at least one switch of the one of the pluralities of electrically conductive loops thereby generating a radiofrequency fields to excite nuclear spins or receiving MRI signal around a Larmor frequency in the MRI apparatus.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein a direction of a magnetic field generated by the one or more first part of the plurality of electrically conductive loops extends parallel to that of a static magnetic field generated by the magnet. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein a direction of a magnetic field generated by the one or more second part of the plurality of electrically conductive loops extend perpendicular to a static magnetic field generated by the magnet.